Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-04-02
ATTACKING THE FORESTS.
Tho Eiiis and Wales Of Northeast PENN
syivania Denuded OF their Timber.

a half century's incessant onsla ught by
sawmills and tanneifes on the ONE dense
forests of pine and hemlock in the coun-
ties OF northwestern Pennsylvania and tho
adjoining counties of New York state has
at last virtually exhausted them. Ont OF
100 immense tanneries In operation fifteen
! years ago there is not bark enough left to
Keep more than half o dozen in operation
to-day, and not more than ono Of these can
be run over three years longer.
Besides the pine and hemlock forests
that once stood In this region, there were
hundreds Of thousands of acres of hard
wood-maple, beech, OAK and chestnut
OF these the oak and chestnut have suc-
cumbed to the demand for railroad ties
and telegraph poles, to say nothing of the
thousands Of acres of finest specimens of
their kind that were sacrificed for cord.
wood before the railroads and tho people
adopted coal as the universal fuel. Until
recently 1t seemed that the splendid groves
Of maple and the other hard woods v5era ~
be spared the systematic and unsparino
onslaught that had swept the hemlock.
Pine, oak and chestnut away, but there is
no longer hope of that Ii is true that
every year more or less maple, birch.
beech and Eastwood were cut and sbinnad
to markets. where there was a demand for
them for various purposes, but now tho
war against them has been carried into
the forest.
IN al parts of the region extensive es-
sapiishnents for the manufacture Of UNI
orella Sucks, clothes pins and similar
arueles Tor which the timber is especially
adapted, have been erected at points most
convenient to the woods desired. There
are probably now in operation fifty OF
these establishments, all with improved
machinery for more rapidly reducing tho
lumber to the forms desired. One of these
factories, where umbrella sticks arc Tho
speciality, but where everything is made
into which the material not available For
the speciality can be turned, Is a sample OF
ING whole. IL is in Pike county, q few
ullles from TINS village. 1t requires the
constant work Of twenty-five men and
fourteen teams to cut and haul maple LOGS
10 Keep 1t running. This Is not the most
extensive factory in the region, either
Only the best maple wood is used. One
lumber operator has just closed q contract
with factory TO get out 1000, 900 feet of
choice maple plank for uss as fast as no
Gan lurlllSn IL.
This attack on the remaining forests of
the region viii denude its hills in few
years. The removal of the pine and hem
LOCK has seriously affected the water
courses of the counties named, as the dis
appearance entirely of streams Of consider
able size, and the extraordinarily dimin-
lshlng OF larger ones amply testify. The
Delaware river was lower last fall than
ever in its history, while the sudden and
damaging floods that follow storms, which
IN former years would scarcely make a
rafting freshet, indicate what the de-
struction of the forests has induced.
When the hard wood groves are gone the
result to the water supply, according to
competent opinion, win be a serious prob
em that will confront the inhabitants of
'he region. Cor. New York Sun.